How To Remove Ingrown Hair

Ingrown hairs can be an irritation or a painful experience. Hairs become ingrown when they curl under the skin instead of breaking through the pores to grow above the skin. Ingrown hairs often create unsightly bumps, redness and irritation. Get control of your follicles by removing ingrown hairs properly.

Tools:
Rubbing alcohol
Tweezers
Hydrogen peroxide
Washcloth
Warm water

1. Clean skin with soap and warm water. Since removing an ingrown hair will open the pores, you want to be sure no dirt or bacteria find their way in to cause infection. Wash the area surrounding the ingrown hair or hairs.
2. Sterilize tweezers. Preventing infection is one of your first priorities since you don’t want to create more skin irritation than you already have. Soak your tweezers in rubbing alcohol for a few minutes to sterilize them.
3. Apply a warm compress. If the hair has not broken the skin, you do not want to dig for it unless it appears infected. So if you have a slight bump, hold a warm compress to the area for one to two minutes. This should help the hair to release from the skin.
4. Open the skin to remove the hair. NOTE: This step should only be used if the skin is becoming infected or bleeding and the hair will not release from the skin. Using the sharpest edge of your tweezers, apply pressure to the hair to scratch the skin and allow the hair to release from the follicle.
5. Uncurl the hair and pull it back. You do not want to pull the hair out. Plucking an ingrown hair will cause the replacement hair to have a similar problem when it grows in. So uncurl the hair so that the end sticks out above the skin. Lightly pull the hair to move it in the direction of the hair growth.
6. Clean area with hydrogen peroxide. Once you have gotten the ingrown hair out from under the skin, there may be pus, blood or other signs of infection in the hair follicle. To prevent further ingrown hairs, be sure to clean the skin. Pour hydrogen peroxide on the follicle and let it clean out the pores.

Ingrown hairs can be an annoying problem, especially in warm, humid climates. If you find red bumps on your skin that are a result of ingrown hairs, there is something you can do about it. Follow these steps and you’ll not only remove the ingrown hair, you’ll help prevent it from reoccurring.